No offense to Dan Issel, but Dikembe Mutombo does not want to play for the Denver Nuggets again. Been there, done that.

After the 76ers practiced yesterday, Mutombo responded to the latest trade rumor that has him, Matt Harpring and Speedy Claxton possibly going to Denver in exchange for Antonio McDyess and Raef LaFrentz.

"Playing there, I think it was the past, and I moved on," said Mutombo, who was the Nuggets' top pick in the 1991 draft and played there until he was signed by Atlanta as a free agent during the summer of 1996. "If I have to get traded today, I don't think Denver would be one of my choices. I had a great five years there, but it was time to turn the page."

Mutombo said Issel, the Nuggets' coach, is "like a father to me," and that he still has friends and fans in Denver. But he is with the Sixers now, and that is where he would like to remain.

When asked about the trade, Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said "it is absolutely not true."

Even with the rumor, Mutombo said he will not talk with Sixers general manager Billy King or coach Larry Brown, not unless he or his agent hears more about the potential deal.